Like a good quality wine ‘Championship Manager 2010′ gets better and better over time

Like a good quality wine ‘Championship Manager 2010′ gets better and better over time

Championship Manager 2010 [rating: 4/5]

There are some games that can take over peoples lives, cause sleepless nights and take up all of your though of all your waking hours. One of those games for many people are sports management simulations and for fans of football, or soccer as it’s know here in the USA, there have been to versions of the genre that have dominated the market and they are Football Manager and Championship Manager. This two titles have dominated the PC football management genres for years and years and now Championship Manager are looking to take the obsession one step further with the release of Championship Manager 2010 Express the iPhone/iPod touch version of their football management simulator.

For those of you unfamiliar with this genre of game you take the role of the manager of your chosen club and manage everything from team selection, transfers, press conferences not to mention your relationship with your players, media, fans and the board. If you’ve ever shouted at your team on TV claiming that you could do a better job then this is your chance to step up to the plate and prove yourself.

You’ll need to set up your manager profile including name, age and 3 attributes/qualities that will aid you in your quest for success. While you may only start with 3 attributes the others can be gained throughout your managerial career which adds a nice side line to the main concept of taking your team to the top of their respective league and various cups that they will participate in.

Teams available are the English, Italian and French leagues, however, you can only select a team based on the language that you select on, so you can only select an Italian team if you select to play the game in Italian which is a flaw as many people would love to have played as one of the big Italian clubs.

Once you’ve selected the team to manage, I selected Chelsea as my team, you are thrown right in at the deep and and immediately have to start making decisions on your playing squad and transfers.

Navigating the numerous different screens isn’t the easiest thing. There are so many options and choices to make that sometimes it’s difficult to know where you have to go next. However, once you’ve played the game for a few weeks, (that’s game weeks not literal weeks!), you soon learn your way around the various screens to get to where you want to go. You also don’t go anywhere fast however as the loading times and screen navigation can sometimes seem to take quite a while. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has played these games on other platforms but for anyone looking for a quick pick up and play experience should look elsewhere. If some games are the equivalent of soda pop, quick, fast burst of fun then Championship Manager 2010 is more like a good quality wine, something that you savour over time and gets better with age.

While all of the details of the game are very important especially if you want your team to succeed. The most fun part is selecting your squad and actually playing each game itself. The nice addition to this game is the introduction of a 2D view of the match while playing the game. This feature was added to the football management genre a few years ago it’s nice to see it included in this hand-held version of the game. This enables you to not only read what is happening in the match but also see it for yourself. It may for be the graphics of Fifa but it is surprisingly effective. The only slight problem is the fact that the text and match engine are a little out of sync which can be a little off putting.

The learning curve for new comers to this genre is going to be pretty steep but the rewards are high as winning your first game, your first cup and ultimately the league title will bring rewards rarely felt in gaming, although the frustrations of losing your fifth game on the bounce and being fired feels pretty bad too! For those familiar with the genre will be up and playing in no time and will be pleasantly surprised with the depth of the game.

While it may have its flaws they are forgiveable given the rewards that are on offer, give this game 5 minutes and it will take over you life!